City map Tel Aviv

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Tel Aviv – a brief glimpse

Home to some 440,000, Tel Aviv-Jaffa is the second-most populous city in Israel after Jerusalem. Tel Aviv’s is viewed as a strongly secular city in the “Holy Land,” and its citizens have roots in every region of the world. This diversity combined with nearly two million visitors a year contribute to the city’s international ambience. The selection of cultural and entertainment options is extensive, and the city’s beaches, Gordon and Mezizim, to name two, are the venues for some very popular parties. Sightseeing attractions include Jaffa, the world’s oldest port and since 1950, a district of Tel Aviv and a component of the city’s official name, and the White City, an ensemble of approximately 4000 mostly Bauhaus-style buildings, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.

Much of daily life in Tel Aviv takes place out of doors and visitors are, of course, welcome to join the party or sports, or sample the street food in places like Florentin, the hip artists’ quarter, or in the area around elegant Rothschild Boulevard.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Perhaps the most important art venue in Israel, this expansive museum features pieces by Dali, Picasso and Chagall. Its most wondrous new addition is the stunning Herta and Paul Amir building, which opened in 2012.

Bialik Street

Bialik Street Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

The most recognisable symbol of Tel Aviv is its White City of Bauhaus buildings, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Bialik Street contains some of the most important architecture, some dating back to 1920s.

Florentin

Tel Aviv’s most bohemian neighbourhood, Florentin, is full of independent galleries, hip bars and incredible street art; explore the graffitti with local guide Guy Sharett.

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Country information

Country overview

The state of Israel was established as a parliamentary republic when the British Mandate for Palestine ended in 1948. To this day, the intention of the United Nations to divide Palestine into an Israeli and an Arab-Palestinian state is one of the reasons for the continuing conflicts in the Middle East. As a tourism destination, Israel enjoys great popularity, especially its historically significant locations and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem and “party city” Tel Aviv. In Israel, distances are short – from Tel Aviv to Haifa in the north, it’s just under 100 kilometers, and inland to Jerusalem only around 70 kilometers. That’s why many tourists come to Israel for variety, since they can easily combine a bathing vacation and educational trip with nightlife and business.

On its website (auswaertiges-amt.de) The German Federal Foreign Office provides constantly updated general and country-specific travel information, information about particular risks for travelers as well as travel warnings, in other words, urgent appeals issued by the Foreign Office to refrain wherever possible from traveling to a particular country or region of a country.

Geography

Israel is located on the east coast of the Mediterranean; the country borders Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan in the east and Egypt in the southwest. The Palestinian Autonomous Territories are largely located on the West Bank of the River Jordan and the Gaza Strip. The country extends southward through the Negev Desert to Eilat, the vacation resort on the Red Sea; the fertile Plain of Sharon is on the Mediterranean coast.

The mountain region with its fertile valleys in the west and desert areas in the east runs parallel to the coast. Roughly half of the country is steppe or desert terrain.

Electricity

Public holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2019 – December 2020 period.

Note

Only the first and last days of Pesach and Sukkot are national holidays, but there may be some disruption on intermediate dates. Jewish festivals always commence on the evenings before the dates given below.

Nightlife in Tel Aviv

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Tel Aviv is rightly known as a party location: Every day of the week, people party on roofs, at the beach and out on the street, and many bars and clubs stay open round the clock.

The nightlife kicks off very late in the day and continues till the early hours of the morning in the trendy electronic and house clubs at the southern end of Rothschild Boulevard and in the laid-back bars of bohemian Florentin.

223

223 Dizengoff Street 6311602 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Ever since it first opened in 2008, this fancy bar has been regularly hailed as one of the world’s best bars. Proprietor and head mixologist Ariel Leizgold is constantly dreaming up new cocktail creations, and the menu also includes a selection of light meals.

Hoodna

Abarbanel St 13 Tel Aviv-Yafo Israel Show on map

The Hoodna is one of the trendy bars in bohemian Florentin. Bands, mostly Israeli, play here several days a week.

Suzanne Dellal Centre

5 Yechiely Street, Neve Tzedek 65149 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

The Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre stages contemporary dance theater; it’s the home stage of both the Batsheva Dance Company and the Inbal Dance Theatre. For details of the current program, visit the website: suzannedellal.org.il.

SuraMare

24 Se’adya Ga’on Street Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Enthroned on the roof of a ten-story office block in the White City, the SuraMare serves meals cooked in a traditional tabun, or clay oven, that taste all the better for the laid-back atmosphere and fine view.

Radio EPGB

7 Shadal Street 65781 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

This cool basement club with its trendy, retro decor is the top spot for fans of electronic and hip-hop.

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Restaurants in Tel Aviv

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Tel Aviv’s restaurant scene is at least as cool as its club scene. Constantly changing, it combines Mediterranean and Oriental flavors. We recommend sampling the full range, from couscous and quinoa to stuffed dates and vegetables in every conceivable variation.

There are some first-class restaurants around Rothschild Boulevard, but also a huge variety of interesting street foods that deserve to be explored and sampled.

Mizlala

Herzl St 114 66554 Tel Aviv-Yafo Israel ‎ Show on map

Category: Luxurious

In 2011, Meir Adoni, one of Israel’s top chefs, opened this “younger sister” to his famous Catit restaurant (Nahlat Binyamin 57) in one of the smartest buildings in the White City. Here he takes an experimental approach to the food and the results are truly wonderful, but people come here not only for the meals, but also to see and be seen.

HaBasta

4 Ha'Shomer Street 65601 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Category: Luxurious

This little restaurant sources its ingredients from neighboring Carmel Market, and head chef Elon Amir applies his love of detail to transforming the fresh regional produce into inspired palate pleasers. The HaBasta also has an excellent wine cellar.

Jaffo Tel Aviv

Yigal Alon 98 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Price: Moderate

Haim Cohen enjoys fame in Israel as a popular TV chef, and this restaurant close to Hashalom is his creative playground. It’s here that he tries out dishes inspired by Mediterranean and European cuisine alongside his own mother’s recipes. The restaurant is known chiefly for its fish dishes cooked in a tabun clay oven and its homemade pasta.

Kalamata

10 Kedumim Square, Jaffa Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Price: Moderate

Located in Jaffa, Kalamata has a fine view of the Mediterranean and serves Greek-inspired Mediterranean fare, especially a wide variety of fish dishes.

Orna and Ella

33 Shenkin 65232 Tel Aviv Israel Show on map

Price: Budget

The Orna und Ella is a veritable Tel Aviv institution that’s been serving up bistro meals and plain home-style cooking since 1992. The home-baked bread and sweet-potato pancakes here are particularly worth a recommendation.

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Calendar of events

Purim

March 2019

Venue: Throughout the city

A day of fancy dress and mini carnivals, Purim commemorates events in ancient Persia, in which an attempt to kill the Jews was decisively overturned. The story is told in the Book of Esther, still read in synagogues on this day. Celebrations involve giving gifts and all manner of zaniness, including cross-dressing. This is the one day of the year on which religious Jews are encouraged to get drunk and act the fool.

Pesach (Passover)

19 – 27 April 2019

Venue: Throughout the city

The year’s biggest Jewish festival, Pesach, starts with ‘Seder Night’, a festive meal when friends and family get together to read through the story of the Exodus and eat ritual foods. Nothing ‘leavened’ is allowed all week, including bread and beer. The first and last days are national holidays, so many shops and business are shut.

Israel Independence Day (“Yom Ha’atzmaut”)

Israel Independence Day celebrates the declaration of the State of Israel with concerts and picnics. Grand official events are broadcast live and a big fireworks display explodes over Rabin Square. It is also a convivial occasion for family and friends to party together. Expect to see plenty of blue-and-white decorations everywhere. The day before is the sombre Yom Hazikaron, in memory of fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorist attacks.

Tel Aviv Pride

June 2019

Venue: Centre city and waterfront

Israel’s biggest, loudest and most ostentatious gay celebrations rival any in the entire world. As the locals say: Tel Aviv doesn’t have a gay neighbourhood, because gays are everywhere. Officially opened by the mayor of Tel Aviv, this huge parade of brilliant colour, exuberance, noise and raunchy costume (plus plenty of bare flesh) winds through city centre streets and down to the beach in celebration of sexual freedom.

Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)

29 September – 1 October 2019

Venue: Throughout the city

Israel’s two-day New Year celebration is a family holiday, with gift giving. The year starts with festive evening meal, followed, for many, by synagogue in the morning. ‘Sweetness’ is a running theme through the holiday and key foods include apples in honey and honey cake. In Tel Aviv, many shops and restaurants remain open throughout the holiday.

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)

September 2019

Venue: Throughout the city

For one week, locals erect colourful little shelters called sukkot. These supposedly recall the simple shelters erected by Jews in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. Some are big, some tiny, and it’s a religious commandment that Jews should ‘dwell’ in their sukkah. That’s usually taken to mean eating and relaxing in it, though some people do sleep in them.

Hanukkah (Festival of Lights)

22 – 30 December 2019

Venue: Throughout the city

In homes, workplaces and in the street, hanukkiot candelabras are lit in the evening with one extra candle each night for a week. Hanukkah (also spelt Chanucah) is sometimes compared to Christmas, but Hanukkah is relatively uncommercial. It’s a happy, child-oriented time with low-key gift-giving, traditional games, traditional songs and traditional foods, especially latkes (fried potato patties) and suvganiot (sugar doughnuts).

All information subject to change. Please check the dates on the relevant event organizer’s website.

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Hotels in Tel Aviv

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There are a number of stylish properties in Tel Aviv befitting a city of such artistic vigour, including several design hotels.

The beachfront has many towering options, while staying in the centre in a restored Bauhaus number is also appealing.

David Intercontinental

12 Kaufmann Street Tel Aviv-Yafo, 61501 Israel Show on map

Category: Expensive

With three restaurants, a pool, cigar bar and live music, this is Tel Aviv’s most luxurious hotel.

7 days forecast

Climate & best time to visit Israel

Mediterranean, with a pleasant spring and autumn. Winters in the north can be cool. Occasional light rain in winter is possible, particularly in Jerusalem, though recent years have seen insufficient rain. Snow is rare. Summers can be very hot, especially in the south. The Red Sea resort of Eilat has a good climate for beach holidays all year round.

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Phone calls & Internet

Telephone/Mobile Telephone

Dialing code: +972

Telephones

The dialing code in Israel is 00972. Public telephones are now rare, but there are still some card-operated pay phones. Telephone cards are available from hotels, post offices, convenience stores and newspaper stands. There are city-specific area codes within Israel, such as 02 for Jerusalem, 03 for Tel Aviv, 04 for Haifa and 08 for Eilat.

Mobile Telephone

When making calls with their own mobile phones, travelers sometimes face high roaming charges. Israeli SIM cards can be purchased at convenience stores in cities and at airports. They can be used immediately. Mobile network operators include Orange (orange.co.il) and Israelphones (israelphones.com). For travelers who wish to make regular or long calls abroad, it is a good idea to purchase a calling card from a provider such as Golan (golantelecom.co.il).

Internet

In the cities, free Wi-Fi Internet access is available nearly everywhere. In particular, it is provided in cafes, hotels and at locations frequented by tourists. As a precaution, one should not enter passwords, credit card details or banking credentials when using public, unencrypted networks. It is advisable to use a VPN app or security software to check Wi-Fi hotspots.

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Shopping in Tel Aviv

Key Areas

Tel Aviv is the fashion capital of Israel and boasts much in the way of homegrown designer talent. You can find lots of boutiques in and around Dizengoff Street, and much of the former industrial parts of the city in the south are being turned into shops.

Markets

The highlight of shopping in Tel Aviv has to be its markets. With jewellery, ceramics and various handmade crafts, the huge Nahalat Binyamin (on the street of the same name) is the most famous bazaar, but the adjacent Carmel Market for food is the oldest.

Shopping Centres

Israel’s first department store is the Dizengoff Center (corner of Dizengoff Street and King George Street), which was built in 1970s. Even if its hundreds of shops don’t interest you, it’s worth visiting as an architectural curiosity alone.

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Travel etiquette

Shalom, which literally means ‘peace,’ is used as both ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye.’ Although manners are rarely particularly formal, normal courtesies should always be observed. Israelis tend to be open, and they like to talk about their country, religion and politics. Dress is casual, but at holy sites, visitors should not wear shorts or short skirts, and shoulders should be covered.

In synagogues, all men wear a head covering. Businesspeople are expected to dress more smartly. More formal attire may be required for evening meals at high-end restaurants, hotel restaurants and at night clubs. On the Shabbat (Sabbath – Friday evening to Saturday evening), special rules apply in restaurants, hotels and stores. There are generally signs to inform visitors about anything that is prohibited.

At restaurants, the bill does not usually include a service charge. In such cases, the tip given should be around 10 to 15 percent of the total bill. If the service charge is included in the bill, it will be itemized separately.

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Health

Food & Drink

Mains water is normally safe, but may cause mild abdominal upsets. Water sources outside main cities and towns may be contaminated and sterilisation is advisable. Bottled water is the best bet and is available everywhere. Milk may be unpasteurised, so boil before drinking. Meat and fish should be freshly cooked and served hot. Vegetables are typically served cooked. If eating fruit, try to stick to fruit that can be peeled before eating.

Other Risks

Vaccinations against tuberculosis and hepatitis B are sometimes recommended. Malaria is not present in Israel but travellers may want to take some form of mosquito repellent to avoid bites, especially if sleeping outside. Visitors should wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water to avoid heatstroke and sunburn. Rabies is present. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay.

Contractual physician of Lufthansa

Please note that Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for the treatment nor will it bear the cost of any treatment.

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Visa & Immigration

IATA Travel Centre

The IATA Travel Centre delivers accurate passport, visa and health requirement information at a glance. It is a trusted, centralized source for the latest international travel requirements. The IATA Travel Centre is the most accurate source available because it is based on a comprehensive database used by virtually every airline, and information is gathered from official sources worldwide, such as immigration and police authorities.